The Dragons
by nerdy12
Summary: Male dragons long for only three things: food, territory... and a mate. With females being so rare, the search for a mate could last hundreds of years for some males. For others, well... they simply got lucky. Gajeel was not expecting a suitable mate to come with the new land he'd just claimed, but is happy all the same. But can he convince her to court? (AU. All rights to Mashima)
1. Chapter 1

**New Discoveries**

Gajeel was a strong, healthy male dragon in search of new territory. His current territory was barren and ugly and food was scarce… but it had been all he could claim in his youth. Now, however, he was a mature dragon. A strong one, no less. He was larger than many males his age, despite the scarcity of food in his land. It helped that he could supplement game with his element, iron… and there was much iron in his land.

But now his iron deposits were low and food was even scarcer. He needed to find new land, and now he could finally fight for it. Still… he'd rather avoid fighting elder dragons. They would have experience in defending their land, which would put him at a severe disadvantage. In his search for unclaimed land or land claimed by younger and weaker dragons, he flew far, far away from his previous territory… and into lands that few dragons seemed to venture to.

To get to these lands, you had to fly over miles and miles of wasteland. Even dragons needed to drink, and there was no source of water here. No food. Nothing. Even strong dragons struggled to make it past the wastelands… most turned back. Gajeel could see a few skeletal remains of dragons here and there. Those who tried and failed to cross. But he was stronger than them, and he was used to the arid lands, which were similar to his own territory. He'd stopped at a river beforehand, as well, so his belly was full of water and fish. He would make it.

And he did. It was hard, very hard, to just keep flying and flying. His wings ached and his back burned in the hot sun. Being a black dragon did not help. Thirst came to him first, but he pressed on. Then the hunger came. He still pressed on. It was far too late to turn back. He was seeing more and more skeletons, but he pressed on. Day and night, he pressed on without pause. The skeleton sightings stopped quite abruptly. Very few made it as far as he had. Fewer, still, survived as long as he had.

Just as the dragon began to think this wasteland went on forever… it suddenly turned into lush forests with large rivers. The suddenness startled the dragon, but he was too eager to land to care. He deposited himself next to a river and quickly drank his fill. He was dehydrated and starving… but he was alive. He had made it across the wasteland.

After a long rest and after catching himself a couple deer to eat, the dragon took his time to examine this new land from the sky. It was lush and vibrant. Uninhabited by humans, from what is seemed. He could smell a few dragons had been through here, but there were far fewer dragons here than on the other side. He was quick to figure out where territorial lines were drawn, and he figured he could find good land further in. Onward he flew, in search of the perfect territory.

He finally found what he was looking for, and it was unclaimed, to boot. A lush valley with a large river… and many mountains around it to build a nest on. The mountains were rich in iron deposits, and the valley was full of food. So much food that he could not deplete it on his own. It was perfect. He quickly set about marking the borders of his land, cutting down trees and scorching the earth with his fire breath to let all other dragons know that this land was taken. And then he went to explore.

And the first thing he found upon landing at the river was a very angry… very small… very cute female dragon.

He had not picked up her scent when he was scouting the land. That's why her presence startled him. But taking a closer sniff, he realized that this female's scent was so very light. It could only mean that she was rather young. She looked to be around the age where she would become sexually mature, so she was indeed quite young. Gajeel would place her at around two hundred years old.

She was a small dragon, lean and lithe. Her scales were light blue, alternating with white here and there, and the horns on her head were small and dainty. She looked weak compared to Gajeel's massive form, but that did not stop her from trying to intimidate him. She roared angrily at the male she saw as an intruder on her land, spreading her wings wide to make her look bigger. Even still, the tips of her wings barely reached Gajeel's snout as he stood at his full height. He stared at her in amusement as she roared at him, telling him to leave. She was cute. Young and small and cute and… temperamental. He liked it.

He snorted in amusement and told her he was staying, whether she liked it or not, but she was more than welcome to stay. She didn't like that one bit, and she snapped at him. He dodged her sharp teeth easily, huffing as she only further amused him. She had fire in her, that was for sure. He wanted her to stay in his land, so he told her he would protect it and give her space. He wanted a compromise. She was too weak to defend her land, especially from a mature male. And she was still growing. It would be dangerous for her to venture from the safety of the valley on her own, and she knew it.

She roared at him to leave again, and he just shook his head. She tried to attack him again, tried to bite him, but he didn't just dodge it this time. He quickly had her pinned in retribution, one clawed hand on her neck and the other on her stomach. She was not hurt, but she knew how easily he could have hurt her now. He'd gotten to both of her weak spots with great ease, her neck and her belly, and she'd been powerless against the fully matured male.

Gajeel told her, firmly, that he was staying. He wanted this land, and he had marked it as his already. He was not leaving just to appease a female. The female could only stare up at the much larger dragon. She knew how territorial males could be, and this male now saw this land as his. She could stay, because she was a female, and he would not hurt her… but she would not be forcing him out. She could leave, of course, but… it was dangerous to leave. She was young and small and weak… even a human could kill her as she was now. She couldn't even breathe fire yet. She had no choice but to stay…

So she relented with an angry huff. The male snorted in amusement and backed off of her, letting her up. He liked her spirit, he liked her temper. Maybe he could court her. She was quite young, but would be reaching maturity soon, and it was never too early to start a courtship. So he introduced himself in as charming of a manner as he could.

She rolled her eyes at him and gave him her name with an annoyed snort. Levy. And then she turned and started walking away from him, heading for her den. She'd not expected him to follow her, but he did. He even gave teasing bites to her legs and wings as he followed, which made Levy blanch. He was flirting with her? After stealing her land?

She growled at him to leave her alone, and he gave an amused growl in return. Yes, he really was trying to flirt with her. When the bites didn't stop and he kept following her, she turned and roared at him, getting in his face and telling him to back off. He snorted at her, blowing a puff of smoke into her face, his crimson eyes full of mirth. Oh, yes, he really wanted to court this female. She was feisty. And cute. Even her roar was cute. And he was moderately impressed with her spunk. She was so small and weak, but she was standing up to him like she stood a chance. He was easily twice her size with all the signs of a fully matured male. He had horns bigger than her head. But she still stood up to him. It was impressive.

Levy, meanwhile, was utterly annoyed by this male. She knew she couldn't physically fight him off, but that wasn't going to stop her from telling him off. It didn't take much for her to realize the male was going to try to court her even though she wasn't mature yet. It wasn't uncommon for females to be courted in their youth and then be mated upon their maturation. Levy had to admit, this male was impressive. He was larger than any male she'd ever seen before, and he was clearly powerful. His large horns and scars were a testament to his strength. He'd fought and won many battles. He was a fine specimen of a male, and any offspring of his would be strong and healthy… but he was so damn annoying. Or maybe it was just that he'd taken her land from her only a few minutes ago and was now flirting with her that annoyed her so.

Either way, she would not be making it easy for this male to court her. She would stay in this valley, because it was safe and he offered her protection from other males who might not be as kind. Some males would have killed her or forced her out despite her being a female, after all. But just because she stayed it did not mean she would be open to courting him. He'd have to work for it if that's what he wanted. Her angry roaring told him as such, but he only stared at her in amusement.

If that's the way she wanted to play, so be it. He'd win her over soon enough.

* * *

Hi guys! I've been working on this concept for a while now and I've posted snippets of it in my other story "Shots, Shots, Shots!" and got really good feedback from it. So I will be making it into a full multi-chapter story! Please, please tell me what you guys think! I love feedback and it really helps me keep writing! And I love hearing from you guys, so please leave a comment!

I will update this soon-ish. I have some downtime in a few days and will be working on this and some of my other stories. Please keep an eye out for me!

Thanks for reading!

-Nerdy12


	2. Chapter 2

**Chances**

Her base form was even cuter than her battle form. Gajeel liked it. She'd not willingly let him see her base form, of course, but he'd come across her picking berries a few times in the past few weeks. She had previously tried to be in her battle form as much as she could be, but that form was exhausting to stay in for such a young dragon. Not to mention, she was deprived of her precious berries in that form, and restricted to the game she could catch that way. Gajeel had taken note of the female's obsession with berries. She went to great efforts to get the sweet treats, and had seemingly planted several bushes near her den for this reason.

Her den was small and nestled at the base of one of the mountains. It was a fairly small cave, just big enough for her base form to live comfortably. No space for her battle form to stretch out. There was a reason for this, of course, the very same reason she had not marked her territory. She was trying to stay as hidden as possible. If male dragons knew there was a female in the area, they would flock to this territory and lay with her, even if she wasn't fully mature… even if she wasn't willing. It was not uncommon for young females to be raped. They were too weak to defend themselves from adult males, after all. By not marking her territory and by staying in her base form more often, she was actually quite hidden from males. Gajeel just got lucky by finding her in this valley.

And she was lucky he wasn't the raping type.

As for her base form, as mentioned earlier, she was even cuter in her base form. She was short and slender, with the gentle curves of a maturing woman and wavy blue hair that came down to her shoulder blades. She was so young, she didn't even have wings in this form yet. Compared to humans, she looked to be around sixteen summers, and this only confirmed Gajeel's suspicions that she was somewhere around two hundred years of age. She was almost mature, but not quite. He assumed she would hit maturity in about five years or so. When that happened, she would get a little bit of a growth spurt, and she would become a little stronger. She would grow larger and stronger with age. It had taken Gajeel about a hundred years after his maturation to get to the size he was now, and he was still growing. It was a slow process.

Levy was glad that Gajeel gave her space. He'd quickly realized she would not be open to courting if he kept pestering her. So he'd backed off to give her some space while he explored his new lands and got settled in. He checked in on her here and there, but they rarely interacted. Gajeel saw no need to rush things. He had plenty of time to win her affections. At least five years. Once she matured she might leave, but he was certain he would be courting her before then.

* * *

It had been six months since Gajeel arrived, and Levy was waking up every morning to find a basket of berries outside her den. It was no wonder who left them there. And every morning she debated on accepting the basket or ignoring it.

She didn't forget that that male dragon was trying to initiate a courtship with her. These berries were gifts. The first time they'd appeared, she knew it had been an apology for annoying her. She'd accepted that one. But the others she'd declined. If she accepted any more, then she was telling him she was willing to court. So she left the berries where they were.

She had to admit, she was impressed with his tenacity. Every morning, the berries were there. They were always fresh, too. Never the berries from the day before. The basket remained the same, but the berries were always freshly picked. She had also noticed that all the berry bushes near her den were still full of ripe berries. He wasn't depriving her of her treats, which she picked for herself. No, he was picking them far across the valley, where she rarely went, so that her own supply would not be harmed. He was taking great care to please her.

The berry basket was always gone when she returned from her morning bath at the river, a sign that he knew he'd been rejected yet again. Levy wondered what he did with the berries. Males didn't tend to like sweet things. They mostly needed meat. Females were smaller and could have a more versatile diet as they didn't need only meat to survive. Levy, honestly, enjoyed many foods that the valley offered. Mushrooms, roots, berries, forest vegetables… they were all yummy and she'd found ways to make them taste even better.

But males didn't usually branch out much. They usually only ate meat, fish, and a couple vegetables. So Levy didn't imagine that Gajeel would be eating the berries. It seemed like a waste that all those berries were just being tossed out… but Levy refused to make things easy for the male.

Levy was currently picking mushrooms in the forest. It would be winter soon, and she could dry the mushrooms now so she could have something tasty to eat through the winter. Mushroom and rabbit stew was perfect in the winter. Alas, she would be without her berries once the snow came and killed the plants. But the hearty mushrooms and vegetables she was picking now to dry would help her cope without her sweets.

She was thinking about everything she needed to do before winter to prepare. Her den wasn't large enough for her battle form, so she needed to find a way to stay warm through the winter. Her base form was prone to the cold, whereas her battle form had scales to protect her from it. Still, even in that form, she was susceptible to extreme cold. Either way she needed a plan to stay warm.

Usually, she would board up the entrance to her den with logs and branches to keep the cold out. While she was still too young to breathe fire, she could make sparks already, which would start a fire she could keep warm with. She had been curing and saving the skins of the animals she'd killed, so she had a nice warm bed to sleep in already, and plenty of furs to make a new dress with. What she needed now was firewood, lots of it, and probably some dried meats and fish. She needed to stock up before the first snow hit, because she would be staying in her den, where it was warm, for the majority of winter.

It took a few days, but Levy got everything done. In her battle form, she'd moved large logs and branches to her den and built them up around the entrance. She left a small space for her to enter and exit from, and a small hole at the top for smoke to escape. She put deer hides between two layers of logs, hoping they would help to prevent the cold from seeping in. Then, just outside her den, she'd built up her supply of firewood. It would get wet in the snow, but she could bring several logs inside her den to dry before they would end up in the fire. Finally, she caught and killed several deer and rabbits and fish, then dried their meat so she could eat on them through the winter.

Every day there were more berries outside her den, as usual.

Then, one day, after she'd finished fortifying her den, there was an extra gift. Several large black scales lined her fortifications, acting as shields against the wind and cold. They were placed with care and secured so firmly that Levy could not remove them without removing her entire structure. And she was left in a predicament. She didn't know if these were courting gifts or not, and being forced to accept something this way was not proper for courting. She didn't know what to do… so she waited by the berry basket until Gajeel came for them.

He was not surprised to find her waiting for him today. He knew his new gift would only leave her with questions. So he approached her in his base form, knowing she would want to talk. He noticed that she took note of his bandaged arm… where he'd taken his scales from in his battle form. It's not like scales just came off. They hard to be torn off… and it hurt. But he'd torn off four large scales for her, and had even secured them in place for her.

"Why did you do this?" her voice was soft and melodic. He loved to hear it. He looked towards the scales and then back to her, giving her a grin.

"Can't have ya getting sick on my watch." He explained. He knew how young ones were susceptible to cold. He, personally, would be fine all winter without any additional fortifications to his nest. But the female… she was young and could get sick. If he wanted to court her, he needed to ensure she stayed healthy. "It's not a courting gift… if that's what yer wonderin." He saw the question in her eyes before she could even voice it. "Just think of it as a sign of good will."

"I… um…" she looked between him and the scales, a small blush on her cheeks. "T-thank you." She finally whispered out. She knew his scales would keep her den extra warm this winter, and she knew how painful it was for him to gift them to her. She'd only lost a scale once before, and it had been incredibly painful. It had taken months to grow back, too. Gajeel smiled at her appreciation, and then he picked up the basket of berries.

"No today, too?" he offered the berries again. She blushed deeper and slowly shook her head. It was one thing to reject the berries when he wasn't there… it was another to actually look at him and deny his offer. He gave a soft, amused sigh and a small smirk. He'd just have to keep trying. "Tomorrow, then." He smirked at her in farewell before taking to the air. He knew he was making progress, at least. She wouldn't be blushing if he didn't have a chance.

* * *

Hi everyone! I finally got time to post an update! That said, I'm going to be gone for at least two weeks. Sorry! Going on Vacation, won't have wifi.

Side note: there's a reason the dialog between them is a bit, er, scarce. Dragons are usually loners, so they don't talk in their base forms much. I was kind of hoping that would be picked up in the context but hopefully this clears things up a bit. Don't worry, there will be more and more dialog as things go on. This is mostly just me playing around with a different writing style haha.

Anyways, thanks so much for reading! Please tell me what you think!

-Nerdy12


	3. Chapter 3

**Acceptance**

It was the dead of winter, and Levy was cooped up in her den. Gajeel's scales were doing wonders at keeping the cold at bay. Currently, a blizzard was raging outside, yet it felt nice and toasty inside her den. Levy only went outside for more wood.

Gajeel was still bringing her gifts. No more berries, but they were still nice gifts. Freshly killed rabbits, a pile of animal furs, a pot of stew that was still steaming hot. He left them all right outside her den where she would see them when she went for more wood. He seemed to always know when she would go to bring more wood in, too, as the hot food he left for her was always still steaming hot when she found it.

He really wasn't giving up, even in this harsh winter. Levy admired his tenacity. Not only that, but he was appealing to her instincts, showing her that he could provide for her even when food was scarce. He was trying to prove to her that he was a worthy mate. It was impressive… and she had to admit that the prospect of accepting was starting to sound more and more appealing…

But she would then remember that she wasn't supposed to make this easy for him. He'd pissed her off by taking her land from her. If he truly wanted to court her, he needed to do something truly impressive to catch her attention.

Well… in the dead of winter, he did just that.

Levy went for more wood one morning, and she froze as she saw what Gajeel's gift today was. It was a basket full of ripe berries. In the dead of winter... How on earth?!

She stared at that basket for a good while, trying to figure out if it was real or not. They smelled real, and they smelled fresh. But how could this be? Did it matter? It was berries in the middle of winter! Her favorite treat, which she'd been deprived of for months now, it was really there. And she was so conflicted on what to do. She wanted those berries… but did she want the consequences of accepting them?

Did she want to court Gajeel? She'd been trying to make him work for it… but he clearly had worked hard, if he'd managed to bring her fresh berries in the middle of winter. And he was a fine specimen of a male. He'd been proving to her all winter that he could provide for her. He was strong, too, he could protect her and any offspring they might have. And he… he really wasn't so bad. He'd gifted her with his scales, after all, and he had not harmed her even when she was trying to harm him. He… he would be a good mate.

It wasn't just the berries that made up her mind. It was everything else. The berries just helped.

And they were delicious.

* * *

Levy was not surprised when Gajeel was waiting for her the next time she went to get wood. His proud grin made her blush as she looked up at him. She wasn't sure what to say, and her heart was racing in her chest. She'd accepted his offer to court. She knew what she'd done when she'd done it. She was willing to court him… but she didn't know what happened now… because courting was controlled by the male once the female accepted.

Levy finally got tired of the awkward silence… so she asked the question she'd been dying to ask since she found the berries. "How did you get me fresh berries?"

"I grew them." Came his amused answer, much to her surprise. He… grew them? In the middle of winter?

"How?"

"I'll show ya." He grinned, extending his hand. Levy hesitated momentarily, but her curiosity won out. She accepted his hand, letting him pull her into his arms. He took to the air with her, his body heat keeping her warm in the cool air. Levy couldn't help but blush. She'd never been so close to a male before, and this one smelled so nice. He smelled of cedar smoke and iron, with a musky undertone… such a unique scent. It made her feel warm and… safe…

Gajeel flew with her in his arms with ease, taking her to the far side of the valley, where there were a few steam geysers. The hot steam kept the area around it warm and free of snow… and it was surrounded by green despite the harsh winter. Near the geysers, there were many, many berry bushes. All young, but old enough that berries were already growing. Gajeel had planted the berries she'd refused, knowing that they would grow in this area even in winter. He had planned on surprising her with the berries in the dead of winter in hopes that she would accept his offer. It had worked wonders.

"This is amazing." Levy said in awe as Gajeel set her down to let her walk through all the berry bushes. Blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, hell he'd even planted strawberries. And was that… "A cherry tree?" Levy gasped at seeing the tree in the middle of the geyser field.

"A cherry tree." Gajeel chuckled, taking her hand and dragging her over to the large tree. He'd scooped it out from the ground and replanted it here. Ripe cherries hung from its branches, waiting to be picked and eaten. Levy could only stare at Gajeel in awe. He'd done all this to impress her? To get her to court him? He really would make a good mate…

"What… w-what happens now?" Levy found herself asking the male. He turned amused eyes to her, and pulled her back into his arms. She blushed but didn't resist as he rubbed his face against hers. It was a scent mark. A way for other dragons to know that they were courting. It would have to be renewed often, and the longer they courted the thicker his scent would be on her. When they mated there would be no more need to the marking, because his scent would always be on her, and hers would always be on him.

"We will court until you mature." Gajeel told her, keeping her in his arms after marking her. "We can go nice and slow until then. I won't rush you." He vowed, surprising her. She had almost expected him to want to jump right into physical activities, which they could do while courting. But… he was going to go slow? Truly? "Yer young and untouched… and I don't want my mate to resent me." Gajeel smirked, answering her unasked question of why.

"Thank you." Was all Levy could think to say. She was blushing furiously, but she was so happy. This male… he really would be a good mate, after all, if he was taking such care with her and her feelings. She knew, then, that he would take good care of her. She… she should have accepted sooner…

* * *

It's been a while since I updated. So sorry guys! This month has been hella busy for me, but I'm getting back into my groove now. Expect updates on most of my stories soon.

Thanks so much for your patience and please, please comment. Tell me how I'm doing.

Thanks for reading!

-Nerdy12


	4. Chapter 4

This is a long one. You're welcome.

 **History**

It had been four months since Levy accepted Gajeel's offer to court. Spring had finally arrived, and Levy was no longer cooped up in her den. True, Gajeel's visits had made the winter less boring, but she still had a bit of cabin fever after being in her den all winter. It was the first truly warm day of the year now, and Levy was happily flying through the sky, enjoying the warmth and the freedom as she flew around the valley.

A loud roar echoed through the valley, mildly startling Levy. She turned her head to see Gajeel flying towards her, coming down from his nest in the mountains. He'd seen her flying around and had decided to join her. He gave a teasing nip to her neck as he flew past her. He was flirting with her again, and Levy could only roll her eyes in amusement.

The nips were not hard; they were just light stings. To dragons, it was flirting. He was showing his power in being able to move fast enough to catch her, and his control by not really harming her with his bites. It was masculine flirting, indeed. Though it was a bit childish and it did show his age some.

He was younger than she'd thought, originally. He was a very large dragon, after all, so she had expected him to be close to five hundred years old. But he was around three hundred and fifty, from what he'd told her. Still quite young for a dragon… and really not much older than she was. She would reach two hundred years this summer, and she would hit maturity soon, though that was different for each dragon.

Dragons usually matured somewhere around their two hundredth year. Some matured early, some were late. It varied. Levy guessed she would be a late bloomer, based on her small size. She was small even for a female, even for a young female. But once she hit maturity, things would change. She would fall into a deep sleep for about a month as her body adjusted to becoming an adult. When she wakes up she will have grown some, and she will continue to grow for about a century after that. She'll never be as big as Gajeel is now, but she will, hopefully, be significantly larger than she is now.

Because right now she was absolutely tiny next to him as they flew through the sky. He had horns that were larger than her head, and she could stand easily in the space between his belly and the ground. Even for male dragons, he was quite large. She'd seen older dragons who were smaller than him, and male dragons only continued to grow as they aged. If Gajeel survived long enough to be considered an elder, he might just be the biggest dragon to ever exist.

And Levy just had to be the smallest. Just her luck.

They flew for a while, just enjoying the spring weather. Levy loved feeling the sun on her back, warming her and vanquishing all feelings of cold she'd experienced during the winter. It was relaxing. And knowing that Gajeel was right next to her made it even more so. She could be in her battle form more and more often simply because he was there. He would protect her from rival males, because she was officially part of his territory.

Levy suddenly got an idea as they flew over the river. She got a mischievous glint in her eye and she flew down towards the water sharply. She used her wing to fling water at Gajeel, roaring in delight as it hit him in the side. He let out an amused growl and used his tail to splash her back. Well, that of course started a water fight. They both landed in the river and ran and jumped around flinging water at each other. Gajeel knew it was incredibly childish to be doing this… but his female was technically still a child, after all. And he was still young, so it was okay. He was just enjoying himself, teasing and flirting with the female he wanted to mate.

At some point the playing moved from the river onto land. Amused roars and growls filled the air as Gajeel chased her, nipping teasingly at her legs and wings as she tried to dodge his sharp teeth. She swatted at him playfully, even managed to hit him a few times. She couldn't do much damage to him, even if she tried, so he allowed it but did not reciprocate. One half-assed swing from him could seriously hurt her. He stuck to biting, at least he could control that better.

Besides, letting her play fight with him was great practice. She needed to learn to fight… she usually would have done it with her parents or siblings… and Gajeel briefly wondered why she was all alone at such a young age. Males would be kicked from the nest around her age, sure, but females almost always stayed in their parents' nest until adulthood. Yet Levy was all alone when he found her, and looked to have been alone for several years, at least.

Questions for later, he mused. For now, things were getting a bit rough and he needed to focus. Otherwise he might hurt the tiny dragon. She was doing pretty good, actually, aiming for weaknesses. She managed to get a bite at his neck, though she didn't bite very hard. He growled in approval, telling her she was doing good, and she seemed to beam at the compliment… until he bit her back and the play fighting continued.

Levy began to tire soon. It was draining, being in this form so long, especially when she was doing so much. Things started to calm down as Gajeel backed off, sensing her low energy. He gave her a gentle nuzzle with his head, a sign of affection which she happily returned. Females liked affection from their males, and this one was no different. She enjoyed his gentle nuzzles and affectionate nips to her horns, and he made sure to do it often with her. He wanted her to be happy with him as a mate.

They rested, then, along the river. They laid out in the sun together, side by side. Gajeel had a wing splayed out over her. She would have been upset that he interrupted the sun's rays… but as a black dragon he absorbed more heat, and this was distributed back to her through his thin wing. Essentially, he was warming her even more. It was nice, and being close to him was relaxing. Levy found herself resting her head on his arm and dozing off quite quickly.

The sun was going down by the time the dragons stirred again. Levy shifted as she felt the coolness of spring nights creeping up on her. Gajeel felt her shiver and he gave a soft amused huff. He stood and aimed his head at her, opening his mouth and breathing out a light stream of flames at her. Her scales protected her from the harshness of the flames while they absorbed the heat they offered. Levy could only stare at him in awe. He had such control over his flames. The dragons she'd seen always spewed forth the hottest flames they could.

Gajeel saw her staring at him and he gave a mirthful snort. He aimed his head to the sky and breathed out the hottest flames he could. A fireball appeared above them before dispersing into air. If that had hit anything, it would have disintegrated. Hit a dragon, the dragon would not be alive anymore. It was hot enough to burn straight through their scales.

He looked back to the small female beside him, finding her staring at the flames above them in awe. He nudged her head with his and gestured to the air, telling her to try. She let out a low rumble of shame and lowered her head. She couldn't. She couldn't breathe fire yet and she didn't know why.

Levy flinched suddenly when Gajeel's head suddenly appeared by her snout. He sniffed at her for a few seconds before snorting, his eyes full of amusement yet again. Nipping at her horns, he beckoned her to follow him, and soon they were flying again.

He took her to his nest in the mountains. She'd only been here once before, just to see where it was that he'd built his nest. It was a large cave that could easily hold him in his battle form, as that was the form he tended to be in the most. He led her into the main cavern, looking back now and then to make sure she was following him. It was easy to get lost in the tunnels he'd carved out.

The main cavern was massive, even for a dragon. And all along the walls, Levy could see deep gashes. Claw marks that were obviously from Gajeel. Why would he claw at the walls? She moved close to one of the deep gashes and sniffed at it. There were coal deposits in here. As Levy inspected it, Gajeel came up to the wall. He stood on his back legs and used his front claws to rip out chunks of the deposits. He picked one of the large chunks up and ate it, then motioned for her to do the same.

She hesitated. Eat… coal? She looked to Gajeel again, and he was giving her a serious stare. He motioned again for her to eat it, and she hesitantly did so. It was gross and bitter, not sweet like her berries, not savory like the game she caught. It was just gross, and she had to force it down. When she'd eaten enough, Gajeel urged her to follow him back outside.

They stood at the entrance to his nest, looking out over the valley as they stood side by side. Gajeel had her watch him closely. He showed her that just making sparks did nothing. She needed to breathe out all the gasses that were accumulating within her due to the coal breaking down inside her… then make sparks. He let loose a huge breath of fire over the valley, then stepped back to let her try.

It took a few times for Levy to figure out the gas thing. She'd never had to use it before. She'd known, of course, that dragons had special organs to capture such gasses and release them at will… but she'd never known that she needed to actively fuel herself to make those gasses. She finally got it, and she breathed fire for the first time. It was amazing! She kept doing it, over and over, until she ran out of gas and energy at the same time.

Levy reverted back to her base form in her fatigue, but she smiled happily and ran to Gajeel as he shifted into his smaller form, as well. "I did it! I did it!" she cheered happily, throwing herself at him. He let out an amused chuckle as he caught his excited mate to be. Ah, to be that young again where everything amazes you. Although…

"Tiny," he'd called her that nickname ever since she started courting him, poking fun at her size, "how come ya didn't know that? That's something yer parents shoulda told ya when ya were super tiny." He poked at her size again, but his tone was serious. Why _hadn't_ she known such a simple thing about their anatomy? He'd guessed that she wasn't able to find coal deposits, which was common for young ones, but her utter excitement told him that she'd never breathed fire before in her life…

"I…" her mood shifted quickly and sadness fell over her. She looked away from him in shame, but he took her chin in his hand and made her look at him again. "I was abandoned." She admitted quietly, tears in her eyes as shame filled her. She was too tiny. Her parents thought she wouldn't survive to adulthood anyways, so why bother feeding and caring for her? "I was left at the edge of the big dessert. I was young, so the dragons that went through didn't kill or hurt me. I learned what I know from the ones that made it across and rested in my area."

"You learned courting, but not basic anatomy?" her male questioned in wonder.

"I… I suppose they assumed I already knew?" she shrugged. "I was too young to even shift back then, so it's not like it was an important topic to me. I asked them to tell me what they thought was important to know." She explained. The travelers were usually kind. They stopped to rest a few days, anyways, so they saw no harm in teaching a youngling to hunt and cure hides. The females were nicer. They taught her about courting and child rearing, and about the many foods she could find that were not game. They taught her all the things her mother should have taught her.

"I… I left that area when the males started to be too interested in me." Levy shifted nervously as she told her future mate these things. "O-one tried to… to… b-but I got away and I fled. I… I found this place. It's so far away from the other dragons, so I thought nobody would find me here." But Gajeel had found her. "I-I've been in this valley for fifty summers."

"You were so young and a male tried to…" Gajeel trailed off, feeling anger rising in him. Yes, females were rare, but to try and rape a female that was so young… it was despicable. She was only a hundred and fifty back then… in human terms… she was twelve. She would have been just barely old enough to shift into her battle form and fly then. Thank goodness she was, or she would have been raped. No wonder she wanted him to leave so badly when he arrived. It was a wonder that she wasn't afraid of males in general.

Now he understood why she seemed to lack in such random areas but was perfectly normal in others. She wasn't skilled at fighting, because she didn't grow up play fighting with anyone. She couldn't breathe fire, because she didn't know she needed a fuel source. But she knew about courtships and flirting and practical skills that she needed to survive. It seemed Gajeel would just have to teach her everything she didn't know about herself and about dragons in general.

"Tiny… you ever have any questions about anything, you make sure ta ask me. Got it?" he said firmly, watching the little female nod as she stared at him in mild surprise. "Good. Now… let's get ya home. It's getting late." He reached for her but she shrank back a bit, a blush coming to her cheeks.

"U-um… could I… stay with you tonight?" her question surprised him, but pleased him, of course. "I… I feel safer with you." She admitted with a deep blush.

"That so?" he hummed with a grin. When she nodded, he pulled her into his arms. He rubbed his face against hers affectionately, renewing his scent mark on her while she hummed happily at the affection. "Yer more than welcome in my nest." He assured her with a teasing nip to her neck.

He loved how she shivered against him, his bite sending pleasant chills down her spine. He could smell that faint spicy scent of arousal coming from her. She'd never experienced arousal before he came into her life, so she didn't understand the odd sensations his actions made her feel. But she liked it and wanted more. He would gladly introduce her to these feelings… but later. They'd both had a long day after being in their battle forms all day.

"Let's get some sleep, tiny." Gajeel regretfully pulled away from her, leading her towards the back of the first cavern in his den. There was a large bed of furs and hides back here where he slept when he was in his base form. He would sleep there tonight with her, and hopefully every night from now on, if he got his way.


End file.
